Shrimp eating tangs

jeffrey750750 · Mar 26, 2020

A couple months ago my fire shrimp went missing, not a trace. Since then I purchased 3 camel shrimp, all have doing well.
Just now I looked over at the tank and both the vlamingi tang and sailfin tank were tearing something up. It was one of my camel shrimp. I feed them frozen meat foods once a day and every other day and feed dried seaweed sheets. Is was weird seeing that

clm65 · Mar 26, 2020

For some reason when I saw your title I expected a picture of shrimp eating your tangs .

Are you sure the shrimp didn’t molt and that is the old exoskeleton?

DarthSimon · Mar 26, 2020

Yes that looks like a molted skin.... Your fish will pick at that stuff... Totally normal.

jeffrey750750 · Mar 26, 2020

It is the shrimp and the other two are missing, I searched for a while

Angel_Anthias lover · Mar 26, 2020

Feeding once a day isnt always great for herbivorous grazing fish like tangs who graze constantly, i would say its more likely its the molt theyre eating, but if you says its the shrimp then its maybe due to a not enough food. I would recommend 3 feedings a day.

Miller535 · Mar 26, 2020

Those totally look like molts to me.

jeffrey750750 · Mar 26, 2020

I will try tomarrow, I'm sure their full now

Miller535 · Mar 26, 2020

Inverts are vulnerable when they are molting, and will usually hide during this time. Maybe they are still hiding, or during the molt something else ate them and the tangs found the molt.

jeffrey750750 · Mar 26, 2020

Let's hope, but all three are missing now

Miller535 · Mar 26, 2020

Are you having any issues keeping inverts alive? Snails, urchins, hermit crabs are doing ok and living for a while?

jeffrey750750 · Mar 26, 2020

I have many snails, an urchin and 7 clams

Miller535 · Mar 26, 2020

jeffrey750750 said:
I have many snails, an urchin and 7 clams

Nevermind then. I thought maybe something was off, and maybe they just died and the tangs found their bodies.

jeffrey750750 · Mar 26, 2020

I get that, thank goodness it's not what it is. Thanks for all your input, I'll keep searching for my shrimp

Miller535 · Mar 26, 2020

jeffrey750750 said:
I get that, thank goodness it's not what it is. Thanks for all your input, I'll keep searching for my shrimp

Hope you find them. Let us know.

Phycodurus · Mar 26, 2020

clm65 said:
For some reason when I saw your title I expected a picture of shrimp eating your tangs .

hehe ... same here. perhaps "shrimp-eating tangs" as the working title (respectfully said).

if the shrimp recently molted, it'll have good reason to hide well until the shell hardens up. i would expect it won't take longer than a day.

if there was no cloud of "debris" while the tangs picked at the shell, then it's an empty molt. if there was a cloud of "debris," that would be the poor shrimp's insides. (sorry, not trying to be gruesome). ;Yawn;Inpain

User1 · Mar 26, 2020

Tend to agree with others. That appears to be the molt they are messing with. Not really a source of food so it could be a dead shrimp they are trying to pick at. Having said that here is a trick you can do.

Wait about 1 hour after lights out and the room is dark take a flashlight and scan the tank. Chances are high that you will find your shrimp moving about the tank. Camel and peppermint shrimp are nocturnal.